August 31, 1958: Woman kills husband as children sleep, Giants win over Dodgers

Posted on August 31, 2008 by lmharnisch

August 31, 1958: Lillian Kella admits stabbing her husband to death after a swim party. Woman with short hair in sleeveless top, blood on her toreador pants. Lillian loved Ed. She loved him even though he beat her. She loved him even though he was on probation for beating her. And she loved him even when he lay dying on the kitchen floor after she stabbed him in the heart. “I didn’t want him to hurt me anymore,” she said.

On the night of the killing, Lillian and Ed had hired a babysitter for their two children and gone to a party in Sierra Madre. By the time they left, both had been drinking heavily.
Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Columnists, Dodgers, Front Pages, Homicide, Sports | 1 Comment

Los Angeles history–Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on August 30, 2008 by lmharnisch




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Below, Western and Los Feliz, as seen in Google maps’ street view.




Posted in Nuestro Pueblo | 4 Comments

Dodgers coach to manage Padres, August 30, 1968

Posted on August 30, 2008 by lmharnisch




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By Keith Thursby
Times staff writer

The Angels weren’t the first team to fill their coaching staffs with former Dodgers.

Preston Gomez was named the first manager of the San Diego Padres, who would begin play the following spring. Buzzie Bavasi had quit as the Dodgers’ general manager to run the Padres and it could not have been much of a surprise that he picked a familiar face. Gomez had been the Dodgers’ third base coach since 1965.

The Angels can trace the beginnings of their recent success to the hiring of Mike Scioscia as manager. The former Dodger catcher filled his staff with former Dodgers such as Mickey Hatcher, Alfredo Griffin, Ron Roenicke and Dino Ebel.

The first Padre coaching staff also had a Dodger feel to it. According to a list on the Padres’ website, at least three of the 1969 staff could bleed a little Dodger blue: Roger Craig, Wally Moon and Sparky Anderson.

Of course, that first Padre team didn’t have the success Scioscia and Co. are enjoying in Anaheim. San Diego finished with a 52-110 record. Nate Colbert and Ollie Brown led the team in home runs and Al Santorini and Joe Niekro each had eight victories to lead the pitching staff.

Gomez managed in San Diego into the 1972 season before being replaced by another former Dodger, Don Zimmer. Gomez later managed the Astros and Cubs. He spent several years in the Angels’ organization, most recently as a special assistant to the general manager. He was seriously injured in March on his way home from spring training when he was hit by a truck in a gas station in Blythe.

keith.thursby@latimes.com 
Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Sports | Comments Off on Dodgers coach to manage Padres, August 30, 1968

Dodgers Labor Day weekend TV schedule, August 30, 1958

Posted on August 30, 2008 by lmharnisch


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Los Angeles Times file photo(s)

Check it out! Jerry Doggett and Vin Scully are glued together! GLUED!! Published in The Times on Sept. 2, 1958. Glue and all. Oh you photogs (or more likely the guys in the art department, sez Howard Decker). As Gary Metzker would say: "They are out of control." When I showed this to Davan Maharaj, he called it "X-acto Shop." Anybody who did this today would be out on their ear.
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By Keith Thursby
Times staff writer

Channel 11 was bringing in reinforcements for the Dodgers’ Labor Day weekend series against the Giants.  The Times’ Don Page wrote in his Sportslook column that Channel 11 would use 15 cameramen in an effort to finish the Dodgers’ first season in Los Angeles with improved coverage.

"The station spent the better part of last week at the Coliseum going through dry runs," he wrote. "In its telecasts from San Francisco earlier this year the station was open to criticism over failure to keep up with the action at times."

Sounds like some hockey games I’ve watched.

Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett would alternate between KMPC radio and Channel 11. Baseball teams may have too many announcers now, but that seems like a lot of work for only two guys.

Page also discussed the use of some new technology to bring college football games to local television.

USC and UCLA home games would be shown on Sunday afternoons "via the videotape recording process," Page reported. Videotape "could maintain the live quality of the original telecast," he promised.

I don’t remember this era of televised sports, but I do remember when a game on TV was a big deal. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that baseball’s Game of the Week was worth arranging your Saturday morning around.  After all, it was your only chance to see baseball from some exotic destination like Chicago or Pittsburgh.

Of course, it was that long ago.

keith.thursby@latimes.com 
Posted in #Jazz, @news, broadcasting, Columnists, Dodgers, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Music, Sports, Television | 2 Comments

Movie star mystery photos

Posted on August 29, 2008 by lmharnisch

 

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Photograph by the Los Angeles Times

Update: The woman below is indeed Veda Ann Borg. The above photo was put in her folder by mistake and I didn’t notice when I was scanning the pictures! She’s not Veda Ann Borg. Any guesses as to whom she might be?

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Los Angeles Times file photo

Veda Ann Borg in a 1941 photograph taken while she was making "Two Yanks in Trinidad."

OK, who is she?

Is it Veda Ann Borg? (L.C.) Absolutely! Congrats!

Can you guess the identities of our mystery Hollywood movie stars

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We have a correct answer! Betty Healy? (D. Webb).

Yes, this is Betty Braun (or Betty Healy) with Ted Healy of Ted Healy and His Stooges. She was sometimes known as the "girl stooge."

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She came out of retirement to play Stan Laurel’s wife, Bubbles, in "Our Relations."

Can you guess the identities of our mystery Hollywood movie stars

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 To recap: Our mystery guest was brought to Hollywood to appear in "Murder at the Vanities." However he is NOT listed the imdb entry for the movie. To make it even more difficult, his name is misspelled in the listing of the Broadway production of "Murder" so he’s even harder to find. 
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Wait! Wait! This just in: Paul Gerrits? (Alexa Foreman). Yes, this is skater Paul Gerrits (or Gerrish in ibdb), who was a sensation in the Broadway version of "Murder at the Vanities." He appeared in several movies and worked in Los Angeles as a master of ceremonies, often for Earl Carroll.

Nice work, Alexa!

Can you guess the identities of our mystery Hollywood movie stars

Gail_russell_sig

 The identity of our mystery artist was guessed by Nathan Marsak: Actress Gail Russell, star of "The Angel and the Badman."  Congratulations, Nathan!

Below left, the signature of Gail Russell. The Daily Mirror thanks Jackie Lugo of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for the picture of Russell’s painting. After Russell died, her brother gave the painting to Johnny Grant. Upon Grant’s death, the picture passed to Lugo.

I have no idea how many other Gail Russell paintings there are. I suspect not too many.

Who is eating dinner with the Reagans? And who is the Reagans’ mystery dinner companion?

Hint: Hoosier hoopster. NBA. Now ask yourself, does this gent look like an athlete? Someone said something about the Pacers…. You’re red hot!

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | 11 Comments

TV game show is faked, player says, LA bids for Olympics, August 29, 1958

Posted on August 29, 2008 by lmharnisch


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New York Dist. Atty. Frank S. Hogan announces the investigation of charges brought by Herbert Stempel that the NBC game show "Twenty-One" was rigged. NBC says it investigated the same charges a year before a found them without merit.

According to the New York World-Telegram and Sun, Stempel said  producers told him he could "make a pile of money" by "playing ball." He said he was instructed on how to "bite my lips, clench my fists and look agonized."   

Los Angeles contestants Wade Ruby of Pepperdine and Deputy Kermit Kynell (remember him from the Norwalk plane crash?) said they weren’t coached before their winning appearances on the show.

In sports, the Rams and the Browns prepare for a game at the Coliseum. The Browns are 1-1 in exhibition games, having beaten the Steelers 10-0 and lost to the Lions 17-7. The Rams have beaten the Redskins 31-10 and the Giants 38-10. The Rams starting quarterback is Jim Ninowski … The Braves beat the Giants 3-0, stretching their National League lead to 7 1/2 games … And Councilwoman Rosalind Wyman introduces a resolution to seek the 1964 Olympic Games.




Posted in #courts, broadcasting, Dodgers, Front Pages, Sports, Television | Comments Off on TV game show is faked, player says, LA bids for Olympics, August 29, 1958

US relaxes immigration law for Jewish refugees, Greenberg leads Babe Ruth, August 29, 1938

Posted on August 29, 2008 by lmharnisch
Sheriff guards Trojans' trophies

I’ve never made a scientific survey, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Eugene Biscailuz were the most photographed sheriff in the history of Los Angeles County. The man certainly knew how to get his picture in the paper. The trophy is being held by USC low-hurdle star Earl Vickery, left, and pole valuter Kenny Dills. 
US relaxes immigration laws to accept Jewish refugees
Greenberg leads Ruth in home runs
At left, the U.S. is accepting Jewish refugees from Europe at the rate of 100 a day. The AP story notes that the refugees have no money but are being assisted by Jewish aid groups.

Also note: Germany’s Catholic bishops denounce the Nazis, though not by name. The bishops say all Catholic books are censored, banned or confiscated. 

African Americans in sports
Above, if you look hard enough you really can find African Americans in The Times.

In sports, the Angels beat the Stars in the final double-header of the "Civil War series" … Hank Greenberg hits his 45th homer of the season as Detroit wins against Boston, 4-3 … Greenberg’s run in the Tigers’ 118th/119th game puts him ahead of Babe Ruth’s 1927 season, when Ruth had hit 39 runs in 118 games.   

Posted in #games, @news, Countdown to Watts, Current Affairs, Dodgers, Front Pages, Sports | Comments Off on US relaxes immigration law for Jewish refugees, Greenberg leads Babe Ruth, August 29, 1938

August 28, 1958: Intruder kills former actress

Posted on August 28, 2008 by lmharnisch

August 28, 1958: Edwin Jerome talks to police after the discovery of his wife's body.

August 28, 1958: Photo of Helene Jerome, found dead in her Hollywood home. Her hair is pulled back and she is wearing glasses. She is one of those cold cases that leave all kinds of unanswered questions even when the killer is finally caught, convicted and sent to prison. Nothing about it passes the sniff test.

We know her name was Helene Funk Jerome, born in New York on March 12, 1908, which makes her 50 at the time of the killing. She was living in a rear apartment at the Las Palmas Hotel, 1738 N. Las Palmas. That’s the one used in “Pretty Woman.”

She was supposedly a retired actress, but her credentials are rather vague. The Times said she was a graduate of either the Royal Dramatic Academy or the Royal Dramatic Society in London, so I’m guessing it was the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, which has no record of her — at least online.

Most of her career was spent on the stage in China, The Times said. She never made any movies and shouldn’t be confused with Helene Jerome Eddy, who died in 1990.

Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Cemeteries, Dodgers, Film, Forest Lawn, Front Pages, Hollywood, Hollywood Division, Homicide, LAPD, Sports | 1 Comment

Voices–Brian Stromsoe

Posted on August 27, 2008 by lmharnisch

Brian Stromsoe writes:

I think the Mirror was 5 cents back then. I delivered the Huntington Park Signal, which produced $20 per month for my comic book purchases, and a stop off at Rancher Bill’s for a burger, fries, and coke — all for $0.25 or $0.30.

I was a Boy Scout at the old Goodyear plant (Central and Florence — neighbor worked there after WWII). And one g’pa used to take me out to Wrigley Field (Angels) and Gilmore Field (Stars). Got to watch Max West, Steve Bilko, Luke Easter, and (of course) Chuck Connors do their thing with a baseball. And I used to sneak into the Coliseum after Saturday morning classes at the Museum to watch some football games (UCLA 72 over Stanford; Frank Gifford as a USC halfback, etc.).

One of our family highlights was the Sunday drive to the airport to park on Aviation Boulevard to watch the prop jobs come in for landings. And who could forget the old aluminum hot dog stand near Central and Florence where Mr. Karcher began his chili dog career, maybe feeding those Goodyear employees for lunch. We later made him rich by eating at his #2 on Alameda south of Florence, and then his #3 in Huntington Park on Pacific south of Florence.

I was employed as a box boy at "Best Buy" or "Bi-Rite" on Florence / Avalon for $1.00 per hour (and $5.00 for any shopping cart we "found"). My sister was an usherette at the Fox Theater on Florence so I stopped by every night after work to watch movies (even the Spanish-language ones). My first haircuts were at Mac’s on San Pedro, probably because he cut my dad’s hair in the 1930s and 1940s. I think the family used another barber on Central for placing bets on the ponies. Seems betting on the horses was a pretty common neighborhood thing.

Well, enough for now, else I will be ruminating for the day.

Posted in Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Sports | Comments Off on Voices–Brian Stromsoe

August 27,1958: Woman kills husband over singing, Reds win against Dodgers

Posted on August 27, 2008 by lmharnisch

August 27, 1958: Anne Benyon is questioned about the stabbing of her husband, Ben.

Was Benjamin John Beynon an abusive husband … or just a bad singer?

Ben, 46, and his wife of six years, Anne, lived at 1946 1/2 New England Ave., between Hoover and Vermont just south of Washington. For the last three years, Anne had been using a wheelchair, although The Times never explained why. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Dodgers, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD, Sports | 1 Comment

Glenn Davis makes debut with the Rams, August 26, 1948

Posted on August 26, 2008 by lmharnisch


1948_august_26_sportsBy Keith Thursby
Times staff writer

Glenn Davis was such a star, his debut with the Rams was headline news. Even if the game wasn’t a real game.

Davis, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1946 as part of powerhouse Army teams, was the main attraction at the Rams’ intrasquad game at Gilmore Stadium. More than 11,000 fans attended the exhibition, which The Times’ Braven Dyer said was Davis’ first local appearance since he played at Bonita High in La Verne "way back before the war."

And Davis didn’t disappoint, scoring three touchdowns. The only bad news was he wouldn’t be available during the season for the Rams. Dyer wrote that after the next week’s exhibition, Davis "goes overseas with Uncle Sam’s army. Dan Reeves, principal stockholder of the Rams, sat in the stands last night and wished that Joe Stalin would drop dead or jump out of the third floor of the Kremlin."

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Davis had a short career with the Rams after completing his military service. The Rams reached the league title game in 1950 and he led the team in rushing. But before his pro career started, he had injured his knee making a movie called "The Spirit of West Point" with his Army teammate, fellow Heisman Trophy winner Doc Blanchard. 

At Army, the speedy Davis was known as Mr. Outside and Blanchard was Mr. Inside. Army won national titles in 1944 and ’45 and finished second in ’46.

After football, Davis spent more than 30 years at The Times, retiring as the director of special events.

Davis died in 2005 at the age of 80. The Times’ Mike Kupper used a quote from a former Army teammate in Davis’ obituary: "There are words to describe how good an athlete Doc Blanchard was. But there aren’t words to describe how good Davis was."

keith.thursby@latimes.com

Posted in Sports | 3 Comments

August 26, 1938: LAPD officer accused in bizarre plot to kill neighbors

Posted on August 26, 2008 by lmharnisch

August 26, 1938: Photo of house with dotted line showing path of a tunnelI had to look twice at this one: A suspended police officer hires a couple of men to tunnel to his neighbors’ house? Really? I mean are you serious?
Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Front Pages, LAPD, Sports | 1 Comment

Los Angeles history–Ford Amphitheatre

Posted on August 26, 2008 by lmharnisch

John Anson Ford Amphitheatre

Posted in Film, Nuestro Pueblo, Stage | Comments Off on Los Angeles history–Ford Amphitheatre

August 25, 1958: Jealous husband rams movie star’s car, Reds win over Dodgers

Posted on August 25, 2008 by lmharnisch

Some folks may find this hard to believe, but drivers were complaining about bad traffic in Los Angeles 50 years ago. I can’t say it often enough: History shows that congested streets have been a problem in Los Angeles for at least a century.

August 25, 1958: Letter writer complains about Los Angeles freeways. Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Film, Freeways, Front Pages, Hollywood, Transportation | 3 Comments

Los Angeles history–Chavez Ravine

Posted on August 25, 2008 by lmharnisch

Chavez Ravine, 1938

Posted in Dodgers, Nuestro Pueblo | Comments Off on Los Angeles history–Chavez Ravine

Los Angeles Coliseum is dangerous, Rams coach says, August 24, 1958

Posted on August 24, 2008 by lmharnisch

August 24, 1958, Sports PageBy Keith Thursby
Times staff writer

The Rams blamed baseball for an injury to one of their players.

Ron Waller separated his shoulder when he was tackled on the baseball infield during the second half kickoff of the Rams’ 38-10 exhibition victory over the New York Giants.

The Times’ Cal Whorton wrote: “Coach Sid Gillman of the Rams was outspoken yesterday about the dangers of having his expensive cargo of moleskinners out there exposing themselves to the perils of the concrete hard infield.” Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Front Pages, Sports | Comments Off on Los Angeles Coliseum is dangerous, Rams coach says, August 24, 1958

LAPD officers accused of beating, August 24, 1938

Posted on August 24, 2008 by lmharnisch



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Above, another editorial in The Times’ well-worn tradition of asking: "What’s all the fuss I hear about … recalling the corrupt mayor … a federal anti-lynching law … opening up America to the refugees of Europe? We don’t need to recall the corrupt mayor … we don’t need a federal anti-lynching law … we don’t need to take in European refugees (they would just go on welfare). Things are fine just the way they are."

The key point, which is buried in the editorial, is mayoral candidate Fletcher Bowron’s promise not to use the LAPD as strikebreakers.

At left, business as usual with the LAPD of the 1930s. And yes, they got off. 

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At left, Mary Astor is thrown from a horse en route to filming scenes for an MGM movie at the Uplifters’ Ranch. According to The Times, the horse was spooked by a passing car. Astor was taken to Santa Monica Hospital to be treated for back injuries.

Max Reinhardt stages a production of "Faust" starring Conrad Nagel at the outdoor Pilgrimage Theater in the Hollywood Hills. The Pilgrimage Theater was renamed the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in 1976 as a tribute to the longtime county supervisor.

In sports, the Hollywood Stars beat the Los Angeles Angels 10-1 in the Civil War series … The Giants beat the Cubs 6-2 … The Pirates and the Boston Bees  split a double-header. Boston takes the first game, 6-0, and Pittsburgh takes the second game, 4-3, after 14 innings.

"Pin smashing" is becoming increasingly popular in Los Angeles, says The Times, noting that "bowling is mighty easy on the eyes when Bette Morris goes into action…" Oh, you sports guys.

And Bob Ray, who has been covering the Pacific Coast League for The Times since 1924, is saluted with "Bob Ray Day" at Wrigley Field.





Posted in #courts, @news, Downtown, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, LAPD, Parks and Recreation, Politics, Robberies, Stage | Comments Off on LAPD officers accused of beating, August 24, 1938

Ladies in Black visit tomb of Valentino

Posted on August 24, 2008 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo

Here’s the earliest photograph I could find of a Lady in Black mourning Rudolph Valentino, Aug. 23, 1937, 11 years after the movie star’s death. In the first few years, memorial services were held on the anniversary, although the services eventually ceased and the large crowds dwindled to about 50 mourners.

In 1934, The Times referred to a “mysterious veiled woman” who visited the tomb every year at what was then Hollywood Cemetery. One story notes that a Lady in Black also appeared on Christmas and Easter. Someone wrote on the back of this photo: “Not Ditra Flame.” Are those white shoes?! Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood | 3 Comments

Valentino near death, August 23, 1926

Posted on August 23, 2008 by lmharnisch

Ladies in Black, you know what to do….

August 23, 1926: Valentino Near Death

Posted in Film, Front Pages, Hollywood | 2 Comments

Couple found dead in pool, August 23, 1958

Posted on August 23, 2008 by lmharnisch

August 23, 1958: Couple Found Drowned in Arcadia Swim PoolAugust 23, 1958

Mrs. Lucille Barry and Reginald Koster.We’re parked outside the home at 322 Arbolada Drive, Arcadia. It’s early morning and everything is quiet. Nice place, isn’t it? Built in 1951. You’d never guess, but one spring day a few years ago, a college girl up the street killed herself over her boyfriend while her parents were on vacation. Very sad.

Ready? Let’s go. Keep your hands in your pockets. Don’t touch anything and don’t move anything.

They’re over here in the swimming pool. In a few hours, a man from the maintenance company is going to find them.

The man floating face-down is named is Reginald J. Koster. He’s 69 years old,* a retired businessman. Reginald was staying here by himself while his daughter and son-in-law were on a trip to Washington, D.C. According to an in-law, he was not a good swimmer.

The woman is Lucille Marceline Barry, 43, an auditor for Manor Market, 2526 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena.  She lived at 101 S. Fremont in Alhambra with her mother, who says Lucille wasn’t a good swimmer.

Apparently they met for drinks at Eaton’s restaurant, 1150 W.  Colorado Blvd., Arcadia. That’s the one with the windmill on the roof.

Witnesses say Reginald and Lucille had a few cocktails and took a cab back here. Reginald changed into his trunks in
one room and Lucille changed into a swimsuit in another room. Here’s their cocktail glasses: empty.

Police will figure they drowned when one of them began having trouble in the deep end and the other tried to help. Continue reading →

Posted in @news, Suicide | 1 Comment